Thorns of the Past
by Lilac Gemini
Summary: Charlotte came to Flowerbud Village to get away from the city and her past. It's all hidden by a cheerful mask, never to be seen by anyone, ever. But she just might be able to find happiness again.


Greetings! Thank you for clicking on my story. It is a first, so please bear with me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon: MM or AWL.

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Charlotte sighed. She was exhausted. The trip to Flowerbud Village took two days in the saddle, and she just wanted to go to her house and sleep. First, though, she needed someone to show her where her house was...

Come to think of it, didn't the flyer say the mayor would be waiting for any new ranchers? She looked around. No mayor. "Hmm, I guess he forgot," she muttered. She took one step forwards to go explore, and was greeted by a friendly - and very loud - voice shouting, "Hello!" Thud.

Shaking her head, Charlotte looked up from her place on the ground. She saw a stout man it a top hat and red dress coat running towards her. When she got up from her fall, the little man was standing in front of her. He was about three and a half inches shorter than her. He's at least in his forties, no doubt, she decided.

"Sorry I'm late," the man panted. "We don't usually get people for the Exciting Ranch Plan. Anyways, I'm Theodore, the mayor." He extended a hand. Charlotte reached out and shook it. "Hello, Theodore, I'm Charlotte." "Well, Charlotte, welcome to Flowerbud Village! Here you'll have a fun time with your very own ranch. Let me show you around."

Exhausted as she was, it felt nice to walk around town after such a long ride. Theodore showed her everywhere, the mines, the beach, the mountains, and around the town. He told her everything she needed to know about every place. She wasn't introduced to everyone, though. Soon, the long walk was over. Theodore led her to her house.

"Alright, here's your house, Charlotte. We gave you some starter furniture, since you couldn't bring any with you. Rearrange it as you like, and you can spend the rest of the day recovering. See you tomorrow!" he waved as she walked away. Charlotte waved back until the little man was out of sight, then turned around and trudged to her house, flopping on her bed when she got there. "Oh. My. Gosh." she muttered, massaging her cheeks. All that smiling was painful for her; she had never really smiled since her mother died.

The thought aroused other memories, ones she was trying desperately to forget. They were gone now; she no longer needed to fear. Under the stress of her day, Charlotte began to cry. The crying started with a few tears, but soon escalated to sobs. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small locket. She flipped it open, revealing a picture of her mother. They looked so alike with waist-length brown hair and deep green eyes. The only difference was that Charlotte wore her hair in two long, loose pigtails and her mother kept hers straight. Staring at the picture, the brunette's eyes grew blurry, and a fat, pearly tear fell onto the glass. "Mother," she whispered. "I miss you so much. Why did you have to go? Why did you have to leave me with that... That..."

The girl's sobs grew. She curled into fetal position and cried for a full twenty minutes, finally stopping after another three.

Sniffing, Charlotte got up and walked over to the bathroom to clean herself up. She sighed when she looked in the mirror. Her face was red, her eyes were puffy, streaks of tears traced a definite line on her face, and mucus trailed from her nose, turning right - and into her hair. The teen sighed again. This was going to take a lot more than simply washing her face. As she turned on the shower, she heard a faint meow. She processed the sound for a moment, then understanding dawned on her. "Leaf!" she called, earning another meow.

Leaf was her precious cat, a gift from her friend - No, my mother, she thought sternly - for her 17th birthday. Charlotte lightly closed her eyes, remembering...

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_It had been three years since her mother died. Since she left her with this monster._

_No one had remembered that today was her 17th birthday. Mentioning it only received more chores._

_The brunette's loneliness pressed her to take out her locket. She flipped it open, staring at the contents longingly. "Happy birthday to me, Mother," she whispered. "You would treat me like something special for my own birthday..."_

_Just as her eyes began to water, she heard a light knock on the door. "Come in," Charlotte called quietly._

_The door opened to reveal a pale blonde with green eyes and a red dress. Her hair was pulled back from her face with a black headband. "Hi, Charlotte," she called out. "Oh, Muffy," Charlotte replied, flashing her a genuine smile. "Come in, you know you're always welcome here." Muffy smiled in reply and stepped in, gently pressing the door shut behind her. "Well," she said, "um, you're mother gave me a request shortly before she, ah..." She trailed off. "Died," Charlotte finished. "You can say it, you know. I don't like it, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid to admit it."_

_"Right." Muffy agreed with a nod. "Anyways, she gave me a picture of her cat-" she stopped, and looked at Charlotte. "Y'now, Mittens?" Charlotte nodded. "Okay, so," the blonde continued. "She gave me a picture of Mittens and which shelter had her. Your mother was a very smart person, Charlotte," Muffy informed her, tapping her head. "She predicted that Mittens would give birth in a few years. She wanted one of them to belong to you for your first birthday... After the birth..." The teenager paused, staring at the wall. "And..."_

_"And?" Charlotte prompted._

_Her friend sighed. "Well, that time came six weeks ago. Mittens gave birth to five lively young kittens. They all grew up happy and healthy." Muffy opened the door, reached around the corner, and produced a large, black bag. It was moving._

_Charlotte's eyes widened as her friend opened the bag to reveal five adorable young kittens, all with red ribbons tied around their necks. They mewed an awful lot - the brunette had never heard something so adorable._

_"Happy birthday," Muffy smiled. "Take your pick."_

_Charlotte looked over at her best friend, the only one who had stayed with her, the most important thing to her alive..._

_With watery eyes, the brunette leaped over to her ultimate companion. "Thank you so much," she whispered happily. "You're the best friend ever."_

_Muffy smirked. "I know I am," she said playfully. "Now, choose yours before I choose it for you. I have a bar to attend, you know."_

_Charlotte nodded and looked eagerly into the bag. Hmm, let's see... she thought._

_There was a trio clumped in one corner, one white, one black, the other gray. They all had blue eyes._

_Charlotte laughed. "How predictable," she giggled. "Mittens was the most colorful cat I know." Muffy laughed too. "Yeah, I noticed."_

_Smiling, the brunette looked back into the bag. One was a lithe tawny kitten with a brown base and deep green eyes. The other was a fluffy reddish-orange with various light orange rings around her tail, neck, and torso. She, like her sister, had green eyes, though hers were lighter. She looked at the two. They looked more like their mother._

_How Charlotte knew that the kittens were female, she couldn't say. She just knew._

_"Hmm... I'll take... This one!" she said, picking up the orange one. It seemed to glare at her for putting it in such an uncomfortable position._

_"Ooh, nice choice!" Muffy exclaimed. "What're you gonna name him?" "It's a girl," Charlotte subconsciously corrected. She thought. What should her name be..._

_Suddenly, she got it. "Leaf!" she proclaimed. "I'll name her Leaf."_

_"Wow, Leaf is such a cute name!" Muffy said pleasantly. "I'm sure she'll love her new home."_

_"You sound like one of those ladies at the adoption center when you choose an animal," Charlotte giggled. Then the words registered, and her smile dripped into a frown. "Oh, yeah," she said sadly._

_Muffy was startled by her friend looking so crestfallen so suddenly. "Oh yeah what?" she prompted. "Dad won't let me keep animals," the brunette sighed. "He said they distract me from my work." "Oh," Muffy said, looking troubled. They sat, back to back, thinking about a solution for a few minutes. Suddenly, Muffy sprang up. "I've got it!" she shouted._

_"Shh," Charlotte hissed. "Don't let Dad or my brothers hear." "Sorry," Muffy mumbled back. Charlotte waved her hand dismissively. "Anyways, what's your idea?" she whispered. "Well,"the blonde began, "I was just thinking... Why not keep her at my house?" Charlotte smacked her fist to her palm, a triumphant grin on her face. "Perfect!" she whispered fiercely. "Then that's what we'll do."_

_She picked her new kitten up and kissed her on the forehead. Leaf squeaked. "Sorry, my love," she whispered to her. "You can't stay here. You need to stay at Muffy's. I'll be back to get you though." She sighed._

_"I'll come back in one year... When I'm 18 and can leave this Hell."_

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Charlotte sighed as she walked over to her bag and pulled out a small cage. In it was a young orange cat, the red ribbon still around her throat. The brunette fiddled with the lock until it came loose, releasing the creature. "There you go, Princess,*" she cooed. Leaf meowed and settled herself on the bed, also exhausted from the long trip.

The brunette quickly showered and dressed herself in green silk pajamas Muffy had sewn for her. She was a wonderful tailor.

As she crawled into bed, Charlotte smiled. Today had gone well. Maybe tomorrow...

Maybe tomorrow, she would be ready for a new beginning.

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***- Princess is Leaf's nickname.**

**So, how did I do? I must say, this really was a painful chapter to write. I kept accidentally going to different things before I saved. I had to write the flashback three times.**

**Please review! It being my first time I'm bound to make mistakes, so please let me know when I do. Though I'm not really bothered if you don't. Either way is fine.**

**(I'm too lazy to continue this)**

**Adieu!**


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